Lens Summary
Brand: Nikon
Also Known As: Nikon TC-14E III
Lens Type: Teleconverter
Format: Full Frame / FX
Focus: Autofocus
Lens Mount: Nikon F
Release Date: 2014-05-14
MSRP Price: $499.95
Made in: Japan
Production Status: In Production
Lens Description: Increase the reach of compatible AF-S NIKKOR lenses like the AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR or the AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR without sacrificing image quality, autofocus accuracy, metering or even VR image stabilization. Optimized for sports, action, wildlife and press photographers, the AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III achieves superb 1.4x enlargement with only a 1-stop loss of light. Fluorine coatings protect the front and rear surfaces, and a durable lens barrel with water-drop resistance ensures the AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III can hold up to professional use. Maximize the performance and reach of your NIKKOR lens.
Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III Specifications
| Lens Specifications | |
|---|---|
| * Supplied accessories may differ depending on country or area | |
| Lens Type | Teleconverter |
| Focal Length | 1.4x |
| Mount Type | Nikon F |
| Format | Full Frame / FX |
| Compatible Format(s) | FX/35mm |
| Optical Information | |
| Lens Elements | 7 |
| Lens Groups | 4 |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Weather / Dust Sealing | Yes |
| Mount Material | Metal |
| Dimensions | 2.5 in. (64 mm) x 0.9 in. (24.5 mm) |
| Weight | 6.7 oz. (190 g) |
| Other Information | |
| Available in Colors | Black |
| Supplied Accessories | BF-3B Front Lens Cap, LF-4 rear Lens Cap, CL-0715 Soft Lens Case |
Lens Construction
My understanding is that for AFS lenses with an aperture ring, the TC-14E III can be used if you change your camera’s custom menu to allow aperture control with the lens aperture ring rather than the camera’s command dials.
I own the TC-14E III and it’s amazing on both my 400mm f2.8 VR FL and 70-200mm f2.8 FL, but honestly both of those lenses are fast and incredibly sharp. The 400mm loses no IQ that I can discern and the AF remains very fast and accurate. The 70-200mm f2.8 FL also does well with the TC-14E III but I don’t ever use it with that lens since I have the 400mm if I need longer. What I do most of the time though when I need more length than 400mm I switch from my D4s to my D500. A crop sensor camera like the D500 or D7200 will always give you better image quality than using a TC. Also my 400mm f2.8 VR performs similar to a 600mm f4.2 as far as depth of field, but is still an f2.8 as far as the camera is concerned and that helps AF and keeps my ISO low! I will always take DX crop sensor cameras over adding a 1.4x or 1.7x TC, and I only own the 1.4x TC for when I need a lot of reach so I use the D500 plus 400mm f2.8 VR with TC-14E III and that gives me equivalent 840mm field of view at f/4! Although the depth field is more like 840mm f/6.0, which is still amazing! My favorite thing about the new TC-14E III is the weather sealing and improved AF performance with the newer FL lenses. Both my 70-200mm and 400mm FL lenses remain extremely fast to focus and accurate with this TC!
May I ask a question about TC versus in-camera cropping please, which I was asked while out shooting last weekend: My understanding is no matter how good the TC, there is an inevitable small drop in IQ and AF/VR performance. Is the small IQ performance drop of similar order to the loss of detail caused by an equivalent (focal length / f-stop) in camera cropping, like selecting DX mode on a D810 or other full frame camera? Or can you get near to no IQ drop off, meaning the only potential issue would be the slight AF/VR performance issues? Or is the IQ impact of TCs very lens specific meaning they are optimised for one or two pro lenses and the IQ could be significantly poorer with other lenses, which would favour in-camera crop modes? Thanks for any replies.
The latest Nikkor TC14E III and TC20E III are excellent converters with minimal loss of IQ. For best performance AF fine tuning is essential for all permutations you might use, and this can chew up your available settings quite quickly. The 300 f2.8 and 400 f2.8 are very solid on either TC, the 70-200 2.8 less so, but hey, its a zoom ..
Using DX mode buys you nothing except storage space, but shooting full frame on a D8xx with a shorter focal length than optimal will allow cropping quite severely to better effect. Having said that, using a D500 is a good option for wildlife especially birds, but images won’t crop much at all, and get noisy quite easily.
Hope this helps, cheers, Maurice
If I might offer a suggestion, please list which lenses will work with this TC. For example, the current (Nikon, please update!) 300mm AF-S f/4 does not, while the current 70-200 f/2.8 and f/4 work fine with this TC.
WEJ
Nikon has a list at www.nikonusa.com/en/Ni…E-III.html. They say it is compatible with the new 300mm.